Travel News February 2019
Good start to easyJet bookings despite Gatwick drone disruption
NORTHERN Ireland’s leading carrier easyJet has made a good start to 2019, despite losing millions when Gatwick was forced to suspend fl ights due to drone sightings in December.
The airline reveals it paid out some £10 million to take care of 82,000 passengers on 400 fl ights that were cancelled due to the drone sightings shutting down Gatwick airport just before Christmas. And lost a further £5 million revenue.
However, passenger numbers for the last three months of 2018 were up 15 per cent to 21.6 million and the airline says it is seeing ‘robust’ demand from customers in 2019, despite a lack of certainty around Brexit.
In a fi rst quarter trading update, easyJet Chief Executive Johan Lundgren commented: “easyJet has made a good start to the 2019 fi nancial year with robust customer demand and ancillary sales, driving solid revenue generation.
“This was underpinned by good operating and on-time performance across the network, with the exception of the disruption caused by the Gatwick closures due to drone sightings. There has been be a one-off cost impact from this incident, but underlying cost progress is in line with expectations. I am proud of the way our teams worked around the clock to mitigate the impact of the incident and looked after aff ected customers.
“Recognition of the easyJet brand continues to grow. We made good progress on our strategic initiatives; holidays, business, loyalty and data during the quarter. “For the fi rst half of 2019, booking levels currently remain encouraging despite the lack of certainty around Brexit for our customers. Second half bookings continue to be ahead of last year and our expectations for the full year headline profi t before tax are broadly in line with current market expectations.” Total revenue for the fi rst quarter to the end of December was up almost 14 per cent to nearly £1.4 billion. Passenger revenue rose 12.2 per cent to £1.03 billion and ancillary revenue was up almost 20 per cent to £271 million.”
Passsenger numbers increased 15 per cent to 21.6 million, while capacity was up 18 per cent to 24.1 million seats, which was slightly lower than originally planned due in part to the drone crisis at Gatwick and late A321 deliveries from Airbus.
The airline says it is well prepared for Brexit. It now has 130 aircraft registered in Austria and has made good progress in ensuring it has a spare parts pool in the EU27 and in transferring crew licences, both of which will be completed by March 29.
Both the EU and the UK have committed to ensure that fl ights between the UK and EU will continue in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In order to remain owned and controlled by EEA qualifying nationals, as required by EU regulations, easyJet says it has a number of options, including the use of the provisions contained in its Articles of Association which would permit it to suspend rights to attend and vote at meetings of shareholders and/or forcing the sale of shares owned by non-qualifying nationals as well as other potential actions. easyJet has increased its ownership by qualifying EEA (excluding UK) nationals to around 49 per cent.
Despite the consumer and economic uncertainty created by Brexit, demand currently remains solid and forward bookings for the period after March 29 are robust, according to the airline.
New Club Lounge Menu for P&O...
P&O FERRIES has launched its new Club Lounge Menu off ering even more choice for customers travelling between Larne and Cairnryan on the shortest and most frequent crossing between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The new menu is exclusively available now in the Club Lounge on all sailings and provides a mouth- watering selection of light bites which are perfect if you are feeling peckish. It includes a selection of light meals such as a prawn open sandwich on wheaten bread, gammon ham and sweet pickle salad, and, among the breakfast options, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on wheaten toast.
Club Lounge access starts from £12 per person when pre-booked and currently includes free Priority Boarding for cars (worth £6), so upgrade now and treat yourself to a stress-free trip and quick boarding. A Club Lounge upgrade also includes a complimentary glass of wine, soft drink or hot beverage, and the opportunity to pick up a complimentary newspaper and take in the sea views as you sail.
UPDATES 5
VIRGIN AND STOBART TIE UP TAKEOVER DEAL FOR FLYBE
movements. V
The Boards of Flybe and Connect Airways, a company bringing together Virgin Atlantic Limited, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital, have, it is reported, reached agreement to buy the regional airline. The combined group will operate independently to Virgin Atlantic under one management team, owned 40 per cent by Cyrus Capital Partners, 30 per cent by Stobart Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stobart Group, and 30 per cent by Virgin Atlantic Limited, the holding company of Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Holidays The deal was fi rst reported by Sky and apparently will involve the new consortium running Flybe’s fl ights alongside those provided by Stobart Air. For Virgin the new arrangement will provide a network of feeder fl ights from around the UK, including Belfast, to support its international business.
The takeover comes just two months after Flybe put itself up for sale as it struggled to cope with falling profi ts, a weaker pound and rising oil prices. Flybe is one of the UK’s best known airline brands, carrying thousands of passengers between largely second tier UK airports and European destinations. Stobart is understood to be contributing the assets of Stobart Air rather than any cash in exchange for its stake. For Virgin Atlantic, control of Flybe’s regional network will provide a valuable feed into its long-haul fl ights to international destinations. Flybe also has access to valuable take-off and landing slots at London Heathrow Airport which are ring-fenced for domestic fl ights. The two carriers already operate a code-share pact aimed at improving access to Virgin Atlantic’s long-haul routes for regional customers using the regional airline’s fl ights into Heathrow and Manchester.
The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals, which could be aff ected by a no-deal departure by the UK from the European Union. It’s understood Flybe will continue as an independent operating carrier with a separate UK Air Operator Certifi cate (AOC) under the Virgin Atlantic brand. Flybe will continue to serve customers and communities across the UK and Ireland and in due course will be rebranded to Virgin Atlantic. Flybe CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener said:
IRGIN Atlantic and the Stobart Group have confi rmed a takeover of Flybe, Belfast City Airport’s biggest operator in terms of fl ight
Flybe is one of the UK’s best known airline brands, carrying thousands of passengers between largely second tier UK airports and European destinations
“The industry is suff ering from higher fuel costs, currency fl uctuations and signifi cant uncertainties presented by Brexit. By combining to form a larger, stronger, group, we will be better placed to withstand these pressures. We aim to provide an even better service to customers and secure the future for our people.”
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said: “We are pleased to have this opportunity to partner with Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital to bring Virgin Atlantic service excellence to Flybe’s customers. Together, we can provide greater connectivity to our extensive long haul network and that of our joint
venture partners Delta Air Lines, at Manchester Airport and London Heathrow.
“In the near future, this will only increase, through our expanded joint venture partnership with Air France-KLM Stobart Group CEO Warwick Brady added: “The Board of Stobart Group believes that bringing Stobart Air together with Flybe and partnering with Virgin Atlantic and Cyrus Capital is the best way for us to play an active role in regional airline consolidation.
“The combined entity will be a powerful combination with suffi cient scale to compete eff ectively in the UK and European airline markets.
Tel Aviv Tent City for Eurovision
TEL Aviv is getting ready to host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest and is anticipating record-high demands of overnight stays in the city.
The Municipality is in the process of implementing creative solutions to accommodate the infl ux of visitors and approved the building of a temporary campsite. The campsite will be set up in the Yarkon Park (Ganei Yehoshua), the largest urban park in Israel, which is conveniently located at a walking distance from EXPO Tel Aviv, where Eurovision will take place.
The ‘Tent City’ will operate for a period of two months; May and June which are fi lled with international events, including Eurovision and the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, which is the City’s largest annual event. The 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will be taking place in Tel Aviv between May 14 and 18 and is expected to attract over 10,000 international participants. Over the last three years, the number of international visitors to Tel Aviv has almost doubled and is expected to reach an overall new all-time high in 2019.
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